Special Order
by Koizumi Mizuki
Summary: It's hard to focus on your job when the person you love is sitting right there. Takano works at a café and has fallen in love with one of the regulars, but how long will it take before Ritsu realizes what Takano's intentions are? Two-shot.
1. Part I

**Yay, another short story today! This one is a request and it's going to be a two-shot.**

**This story is an AU and the 'scandal' between Ritsu and Takano in high school never happened here, so that may explain why Ritsu is more honest about his feelings than in canon. Still, I hope he isn't OOC ^^;;**

**I hope you like it!**

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><p><strong>Part I<br>**

"Green tea and a coffee for table four."

"Got it!"

Placing the cups on his tray, Takano swiftly brought the order to the appointed table and flashed the two young ladies a smile as he handed them their drinks. One of the women played with her chestnut locks as she thanked him. He faked another smile, not falling for her attempts to charm him.

Turning around, he glanced at the empty table on the far right. He frowned at the sight, wondering where _he_ could be. A guy named Onodera Ritsu visited the café every day without failure, but he was nowhere to be seen. It was rather suspicious as he always arrived around this time.

Why did Takano care so much? The truth is that he was actually in love Ritsu and always looked forward to seeing him. He liked seeing that smile that reached the young man's lovely, bright green eyes; it brought liveliness to him. Their taste in literature had quite some overlap too, so it was easy to strike up a conversation. Sometimes, Takano talked with him for so long that his colleagues started complaining about it. It was all worth it.

However, that didn't explain why Ritsu hadn't shown up yet that day. Truth be told, it started to make Takano worry. He glanced at the wall clock and noticed that it was almost past lunchtime.

'Maybe he's feeling sick?'

"Takano-san, stop spacing out already!"

Snapping back to reality, Takano noticed the annoyed girl standing before him. She was tapping her foot impatiently while staring at him through her bright orange-colored bangs.

"Fuuka, have you seen Onodera by any chance?"

The redhead's gaze softened. "You mean the guy you're always flirting with? No, he hasn't shown up yet."

Not satisfied with the answer, Takano walked away from her and got back to work. As he took more orders, his mind kept wandering off to Ritsu. That one person was the only reason why he looked forward to going to work every day. In fact, Takano was so madly in love with him that he was always the one to take his orders and bring him his drinks. It was hard to believe that Ritsu still hadn't noticed any of that.

That didn't mean Takano was going to give up. If he couldn't get Ritsu to understand with subtle hints, he simply had to do something a little more daring. While thinking of other ways to show his feelings for the other, Takano brought more coffee around and served customers he had never seen before. Then, right at the entrance of the café, he spotted someone familiar.

It was Ritsu.

Their gazes locked momentarily, causing Ritsu to smile kindly before taking a seat at the table where he always sat. Takano hurried over to him with a small notepad in his hand.

"You're later than usual," he said as he took his pen from his breast pocket, "I was starting to believe that you wouldn't show up today. The same as always, I assume?"

"No, I need something stronger today, like a cup of black coffee."

Takano raised an eyebrow, but wrote the order down nonetheless. "Did something happen?"

"Well, it's kind of complicated," Ritsu said, looking down at the white table, "I'm busy trying to get a job at the moment and I got an offer from a company, but it's not the type of job I'm looking for. This morning, I had an interview with the employer and he as well as the other people there were really friendly to me. Although I'm grateful for the offer, I don't know if I should accept it."

"You could give it a try," Takano replied as he put his pen back, "Who knows, you might like it more than you think. It's an opportunity to try something else, not a devoir. Just give it some thought, okay?"

Ritsu stared at Takano with wide eyes as the latter walked away from the table to get his coffee. He wanted to thank him for his helpful advice, but he was already too far away and shouting in a crowded café wasn't the most prudent thing to do.

Five minutes passed before Takano returned and gave Ritsu his drink.

"Here you go," he said as he put the cup on the table, "Do you always drink coffee when you're upset?"

"Yes, most of the time. It gives me a bit of an energy boost." Ritsu took a sip of the hot beverage and put the cup down again. "Thank you for the advice, by the way. You're the first person I told. I feel like I can really trust you and that's why I came here to talk to you."

Heart swelling with happiness, Takano smiled and took a seat across from Ritsu. This was his chance to tell the brunet how he felt about him.

"There's something I need to tell you as well," he confessed in a soft voice, "The reason why I'm the only one who takes your orders and serves your drinks is because I want to be close to you as much as possible. The fact that you show up every day makes me happy...and I've grown to like you a lot. That's why I'd like to ask you to go out with me."

"W-what?" Ritsu asked, almost choking on his coffee, "You mean…like a date?"

Takano nodded calmly. "Yes, I want to go on a date with you."

Ritsu blushed and lowered his gaze again. "I knew I shouldn't have been so shy," he whispered.

As Takano heard this, he gave the other a look of surprise. "Are you saying that you were planning on asking me out as well?"

"W-well, actually…yes." The hand holding the cup of coffee tightened its grip as Ritsu forced himself to speak up. Takano had been honest to him about his feelings, so now it was his turn. "I like you too, Takano-san. That's why I keep coming back here—to see you. Even so, I was too scared to tell you."

"I'll take that as a 'yes' then. All right, let's meet up in front of the café tomorrow at 1:00 PM."

The decision was made so quickly that Ritsu was rather shocked, yet too excited to argue with Takano. Watching the man walk away, he felt a pleasant, warm feeling in his chest. His face was redder than a tomato, but he didn't pay any mind to it. He just sat there, trying to drink his coffee despite the lump in his throat, and imagined what their date would be like.

Needless to say, he couldn't wait until the next day.

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><p><strong>Was this any good? I'm not used to writing about this couple yet xD<strong>

**Thank you for reading and feel free to drop a review~**


	2. Part II

**Here's the second part of this two-shot! Thank you all for your reviews and for the favorites; I'm glad that people are enjoying this short story so far :)**

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><p><strong>Part II<strong>

People always say that patience is a virtue, but Takano simply couldn't wait for the hours to pass by and his shift to end. Ever since he asked Ritsu out, he hadn't been able to focus on anything. His mind was too transfixed by the thought of finally going out with the person he was in love with.

On Fridays, Takano always worked from eight in the morning until half past twelve in the afternoon. He had been glancing at the clock repeatedly during his shift and was glad when he saw that his shift was finally over. Usually, he barely paid attention to it, but this time he was looking forward to the date too much. Walking to the back of the café, he changed into his normal attire and put the uniform away. He only had twenty minutes left to buy something for lunch, so he had to hurry.

Exiting the building, he walked to a deli on the other side of the road and got in line to buy a sandwich. Lucky for him, it wasn't too crowded, and within ten minutes he had bought a sandwich and walked over to a bench outside to eat his lunch. From there, he could keep an eye on the café to see when Ritsu arrived. Said young man showed up two minutes too early and Takano smiled as he watched him from afar.

Once Takano had finished eating, he approached the other. When Ritsu caught sight of him, he smiled shyly and his face flushed.

"Hello, Takano-san…" Ritsu greeted awkwardly, clutching the plastic bag in his hands.

"You don't have to be so nervous around me."

"Eh? Uhm…o-okay. I brought some leftover rice from today's lunch to feed the ducks in the park. Usually I do it by myself, but I figured we could do it together if you want to. I know it sounds a bit silly, so I completely understand if you don't like the idea."

A smile found its way to Takano's lips as Ritsu suggested this. The older male was happy to hear that Ritsu had thought a something to do during their date. Besides, he had always loved animals and he was sure that a friendly person like Ritsu liked them as well.

"Sounds good to me," he replied, giving a quick nod, "Let's go to the park then."

As they made their way to the park nearby, Ritsu was wobbling after him. Even though he was trying to, he failed to hide his uneasiness as he followed Takano. He had often wondered what it would be like to go on a date with him and this was his chance to find out. Naturally, thinking about only made him all the more nervous. Silently praying that he wouldn't do anything stupid, he picked up the pace until he was walking right next to Takano.

Reaching the park, the lovebirds followed the path until they reached a small pond. It was summer and all the trees and flowers turned the scenery into a colorful piece of art. Ducks were swimming around in the pond lively, making soft noises as they saw Ritsu approach. They seemed to know that it was feeding time, because they moved closer to the two males and watched them expectantly. Ritsu took a small container from the bag and opened it. Grabbing a few grains of rice, he threw them into the water. The ducks hurried to the food and began to eat hungrily.

More rice floated in the water as the younger male emptied the container little by little, and the ducks didn't stop eating. As the minutes passed, Ritsu came to realize that Takano was just standing there and glanced at him.

"Do you want to feed them as well?" he asked, holding the container up higher.

"No, I'm fine."

"If you think it's boring, we could go somewhere else."

Takano shook his head and continued to stare at the ducks. "I like this," he said softly, "There are many things you can do on a date, but most of the time it's better to keep it simple. It's about being together rather than doing all kinds of stuff."

Although Ritsu didn't say it out loud, he agreed with Takano. Smiling, he fed the ducks until the container was empty and put it back in the plastic bag. The last few grains of rice disappeared from the surface of the water and the ducks started making noises again, still asking for more food. Ritsu raised his hands as if to show them that he didn't have any more and turned to Takano.

"What do you want to do now?" he asked, blushing fervently, "It's your turn to choose."

"It doesn't really matter to me what we do. Maybe we can go for a walk around the park?"

"Yes, that's a good idea," Ritsu replied enthusiastically. The weather was nice that day, so a walk sounded like a perfect plan.

They walked away from the pond and followed the narrow dirt path. There was hardly anyone there, so all they could hear was the sound of birds singing and their own footsteps and breathing. There were several wooden bridges to cross the small streams, surrounded by countless of trees and flowers. Leaves were carried by a gentle summer breeze before landing into the water, drifting away peacefully.

Nature had this unique and indescribable beauty that neither Ritsu nor Takano could resist. Their eyes shifted as they beheld the traces of serenity all around them, and their minds were free of worries and insecurities. They were so caught up in the moment that they didn't even notice their hands brushing against one another as they walked. When Takano finally felt it, he glanced at Ritsu and saw how calm he was. Happy that the younger male wasn't so tense around him anymore, he decided to try his luck and took Ritsu's hand in his own.

The action seemed to stir something within Ritsu, because his eyes shot up to stare at Takano and his face became red once more. Much to Takano's surprise, however, he didn't say anything. Despite liking the silence, Takano wanted to hear Ritsu's voice.

"Do you really visit the park every day to feed the ducks?" Takano asked.

"I try to, but sometimes I have other plans and can't find the time to visit the park. Going to the café is something I do on a daily basis, no matter how busy I am."

"Why is that? To see me?"

Ritsu's face was redder than a tomato as he tore his gaze away from Takano's, chewing on his bottom lip. To Takano, this was a perfectly clear answer to his question. The fact that Ritsu went to the café for him was flattering to say the least.

Letting his fingers intertwine with Ritsu's, Takano squeezed his hand softly. They crossed one of the streams and came closer to the edge of the park, hearing the faint sound of cars driving by. Truth be told, he didn't want to leave this peaceful place yet as it meant that he'd have to let go of the other's warm hand. As Takano's eyes were fixed on the road in the distance, he also spotted an ice cream cart over there. As an idea came to mind, he slowly loosened his grip.

"Let's go buy some ice cream over there," he said, pointing at the cart.

Surprised by the sudden offer, Ritsu nodded hesitantly. He followed Takano and greeted the woman at the cart. It was a friendly woman who looked just a few years older than him.

"Which flavor would you like?" Takano asked, glancing at Ritsu.

Studying the different flavors in the cart, the brunet furrowed his brows. There were so many nice flavors to choose from that it was hard to make up his mind. He didn't want to keep Takano waiting, so after a while he just picked one randomly.

"Chocolate," he replied.

"How many scoops?"

"U-uhm…just one."

Sensing that Ritsu was rather indecisive, the woman smiled kindly at him and gave him what he was about to order, not wanting him to turn into a stuttering mess again. As she handed him the cone, Ritsu accepted it gratefully. Takano paid for the ice cream, ignoring Ritsu when he said that he could pay for it himself. They walked back to the park and sat down on a bench in the shadow of a tall tree.

For a moment, no words were exchanged between the two of them. Ritsu simply enjoyed his ice cream while Takano watched him eat. He didn't know that the other was still paying attention to him until Takano's voice suddenly broke the silence.

"Don't you have a favorite ice cream flavor?"

"Well, not really," Ritsu admitted, slightly embarrassed, "I don't eat ice cream all that often, so I haven't decided what flavor I like best. What about you, Takano-san?"

Crossing his legs, Takano leaned back and stared at the clear blue sky. "I'm fine with most flavors, but my favorite is vanilla."

"If you like ice cream, why didn't you get yourself any? Are you okay with me having ice cream while you're sitting here empty-handed?"

Takano didn't reply with words, but instead leaned closer to Ritsu. As the latter eyed him questioningly, he suddenly licked the melting chocolate ice cream. Taken aback by Takano's action, he retracted his hand to make sure that the ice cream was out of the man's reach. The blush from before returned to his face, painting his cheeks.

"W-what was that for?"

"You were offering to share your ice cream with me, right?"

"When did I ever say that?" Ritsu asked, his voice way louder than necessary as he was almost yelling. As he realized this, he tried to lower his voice and continued to eat. "If you wanted a taste of it, you should have asked first," he muttered softly.

Brown eyes studied him, reading his facial expression. Takano could tell that Ritsu wasn't mad at him; the young man was just not entirely comfortable with the fact that they were dating like an actual couple. The discomfort was probably not going to last forever, but it would take a while before he wasn't nervous around Takano anymore. He seemed a lot shyer than before he was asked out, which made Takano wonder if he was scared to act like his usual self.

Feeling obliged to expel those thoughts, Takano moved closer again. This time, he didn't go for the food, but aimed for Ritsu's lips. When Ritsu stopped licking the chocolate ice cream, the other saw his chance and took it. Their lips collided, causing Ritsu to jump a little in surprise, but he relaxed when Takano put his hands on his back and deepened the kiss.

Takano was a good kisser; even a rather inexperienced like Ritsu could come to that conclusion. The kiss was passionate, yet not overbearing. A strong tongue pushed against Ritsu's lips, causing them to part eventually. The sensation was new to Ritsu, but he liked it. His eyes fluttered shut and he became oblivious to everything else.

After a couple more minutes, they broke apart. Opening their eyes, their gazes locked and Takano smiled. They were both quiet, but their hearts whispered to each other. Sitting there so peacefully, Ritsu and Takano realized that they had made the right decision.

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><p><strong>I wanted to keep the date simple, so feeding ducks and taking a walk seemed good to me xD<strong>

**Thank you for reading! I hope you liked this and I'd love to hear your thoughts about this story!**


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